The Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka has called on the Sri Lankan authorities to end their increasingly brutal crackdown on students who are protesting against government plans to privatise higher education.

At least five leading student activists have been remanded after being arrested following a protest campaign organised by the Inter University Students' Federation (IUSF) on June 21.

"By using police and courts to suppress dissenting voices the government has shamelessly demonstrated that it lacks the political will to fulfil its international commitments to reform the judiciary and the security sector", JDS said in its' statement.

Read full statement:

The Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) vehemently condemns the government of Sri Lanka for directing state institutions to suppress students who have taken to streets against the privatisation of education.

Five student activists have been detained by courts following a brutal crackdown on their protest in Colombo on June 21 by elite police commando forces.

The growing fears among students have been further confirmed by the shocking revelations made by Colombo media quoting police sources who disclosed the plans to arrest 100 more student activists in countrywide police raids.The increasingly repressive campaign has forced many students into hiding in fear for their safety.

The detained students have been in the forefront of a series of protests against government moves to approve the establishment of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) private medical college at the cost of free education.

By using police and courts to suppress dissenting voices the government has shamelessly demonstrated that it lacks the political will to fulfil its international commitments to reform the judiciary and the security sector.

JDS calls upon the government to release all detained student leaders immediately and urges the international rights groups to step up the pressure on Sri Lankan authorities to ensure the students democratic right to protest.

JDS is the Sri Lankan partner organization of international media rights group, Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The launching of this website was made possible by the EU’s European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), of which Reporters Without Borders is a beneficiary.